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Monday, December 6, 2010

Queens Teacher: Cathie Comes Out With Guns Blazing

Queens Teacher: Cathie Comes Out With Guns Blazing

Cathie Comes Out With Guns Blazing

Cathie Black blasts tenure for teachers as 'lifetime guarantee' while teachers union protests
BY Meredith Kolodner


The icy relationship between the Education Department and the teachers union shows no sign of thawing under the new schools chancellor.

Incoming schools chief Cathie Black blasted tenure for teachers in an interview that aired yesterday on Channel 7.

After saying she couldn't imagine running an organization based on the current method of evaluating teachers, she added: "Nor can I imagine at age 25...saying to somebody, 'You have lifetime guarantee for this position. Just show up every day.' It's inconceivable."

Principals can grant tenure to teachers after three years.

Outgoing Chancellor Joel Klein worked unsuccessfully for years to get rid of a provision that allows the least senior teachers to be laid off first.

Black, 66, said she's also against the policy because it could cause the system to lose "younger, newer, fresher